Criteria For Admissions to School
The maximum number of children that can be admitted for each group is 35. If numbers requesting places exceed those available, the LEA guidelines are strictly followed by giving priority to:-
1. Children who are looked after by a Local Authority at the time when preferences are expressed and who are still looked after at the time of their admission to school, and those who have ben previously looked after.
2. Children for whom the Local Authority accepts that there are exceptional medical social or welfare reasons which are directly relevant to the school concerned.
3. Children with older brothers and sisters attending the school.
4. Remaining places are allocated according to where a child lives. Those living nearest to the school by a straight line (radial) measure will have priority.
Applying for a school place - top tips
Admissions to Reception Class
Children are not legally required to start school until the term following their fifth birthday. In Lancashire, however, all children who have their 5th birthday between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024 may start school in September 2023 if their parents / carers wish it.
Applications for primary & secondary school is open from 1st September 2022.
The closing date for Primary School Applications is Sunday 15th January 2023 at 11-59 pm.
Apply for a primary school place
LCC will then send out notification emails to parents on Monday 17th April. Any pupils who are not happy with their offer may appeal (see link below) and full details are provided by LCC.
Appealing for a place at a Primary School
Appeal for Admission to a Primary School
If you're not happy with the school place you're given, you can appeal for any school.
You can contact the area education office (admissions department) for help, we can:
- tell you which schools have places available
- add your child's name to waiting lists for other schools
- provide information to help you appeal
If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, procedures differ; the SEN team at the area education office can help you.
Submit an appeal
You'll need to appeal by submitting the relevant appeal form:
Help submitting appeal forms
If you cannot fill in an admissions appeal form yourself due to a disability or any language barrier and you feel this may compromise your submission then help is available from our Customer Service Centre who will be able to help you fill out the relevant form.
The contact number for the Customer Service Centre is 0300 123 6707
The Customer Service Centre staff cannot advise you of your submission and can only fill the form out on your behalf.
If you need further help or have any special requirements, please contact the Appeals Team on 01772 536 776 or appeals@lancashire.gov.uk.
Types of school
If you have been refused a place at a community or voluntary controlled school, your appeal will go to the county council. A copy of your form will be sent to the relevant area education office who are the admissions authority for the school you're appealing for. A copy will also be sent to the email address you have included on your form for your own records.
If you have been refused a place at a voluntary aided or foundation school or an academy or free school, your appeal will be against the decision of the governing body. A copy of your form will be sent to the school you're appealing for and a copy will also be sent to the email address you have included on your form for your own records.
The appeals process
Once we receive your appeal you'll be invited to participate in an appeal hearing.
We'll write to you to confirm the date and time for your hearing and how this will be conducted.
A provisional list of appeal dates is published each year for primary reception year intake and year 7 intake to secondary school at the beginning of each year during January or February.
Contacting you
We'll contact you via the email address you supply on your appeal form and we'll always try and give you at least 14 days' notice of your hearing date and time.
To ensure that we keep your personal data secure we'll always send our emails using Egress (our secure e-mail provider). You'll need to log in to Egress to access the contents of the email. You'll get the instructions on how to do this in the email we send to you.
The appeal hearing
Hearings are informal and last around 20 to 30 minutes.
The appeal will be heard by a panel acting independently of the Local Authority. They will have no connection with the school you're appealing for, or the school your child has been allocated a place at. These are the people who will make the decision about your appeal.
We'll write to you to let you know the result of the hearing within 5 working days, wherever possible.
Second appeals
If a place has already been refused at appeal, the admissions authority will only consider a second appeal for a place at the same school or academy in the same academic year if they consider that there has been a relevant, significant and material change in the family's circumstances (since the original appeal hearing). If this is the case a second appeal hearing may be appropriate. Individual admissions authorities will decide in relation to re-appeal requests.
Important Dates
28 April 2023 - Deadline for requesting:
Week commencing 1 May 2023 - Distribute appeal forms to parents
12 May 2023 - Appeal deadline for community and voluntary controlled schools**
1st round of hearings.
For voluntary aided, foundation, free and academy schools, please check with the school directly for their deadline date.
By 7 July 2023
Appeals for community and voluntary controlled schools submitted by the deadline heard by an independent appeal panel
* If you are not happy with an initial offer, the appeals period starts from your receipt of the offer. Appeal information will be issued later as this allows some time for reserve lists to operate.
**Appeals which we receive after the deadline will be slotted into the schedule where possible. We cannot guarantee this however, and late appeals may have to be heard after the agreed date at a second round of hearings. The schedule is subject to change depending upon the availability of appeal panel members, clerks, venue, etc.
The number of places available for admission to Reception in the year 2022 will be a maximum of 35.
The number of children on School Roll is 246.
It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their legal application is submitted before the deadline to the authority.
In Year Admissions
If you are new to the area or want to request a transfer to another school (also known as in year school admissions) you may contact your preferred schools directly to find out if a place is available for your child. As of 1/11/21 schools are no longer required to hold waiting lists and all other admissions queries shoudl be directed to the In Year Admissions team at Lancashire County Council.
You can also contact your local area education office
(Pupil Access Team South 01772 532109/IYAsouth@lancashire.gov.uk)
You will then need to speak to the current school and the school you intend to move to.
When you apply for admission to Lancashire schools you have the right to express up to three school preferences.
For schools that do not have places, you can submit an appeal for a school that does not have any places.
If you have moved house it may be essential to move your child, however, if a school move is not absolutely vital you should carefully consider the implications for your child.
If your child is unhappy in their current school for whatever reason, for example alleged bullying or not getting on with a teacher, you should first contact the headteacher and discuss the problems thoroughly, before changing schools. School transfer is very disruptive for any child and it is not encouraged if the matter can be resolved by the school.
If it is not essential that your child moves school, please read our guidance: what to think about if you are considering a change of school.
If you have any questions regarding school admissions please contact Mrs Royle or Miss Broadbent in the school office on 01772 774044.
Thank you for considering Kennington Primary School for your child.